Merry Christmas!  I hope yours was great—mine was.  It was smaller than usual, but the food and company were wonderful. 

We had Christmas dinner at my son’s again.  He’s a great cook, with a big enough house to hold the family and it takes a load of pressure off me.  I’ve hosted Christmas for many years and have two tables, kitchen and dining room. But after all these years to only have to bring food to an event is a godsend. 

My sister is sick, and my son-in-law’s mother is ill and those were the topics of conversation.  But we still had a great time.  Most of the grandchildren were there—one from Colorado—and it is always great to see them.  They are grown, but they are still my grandchildren.

When it was over, my daughter and I realized we didn’t take one picture!  This is just unheard of in our family. But maybe we were having too much fun to drag out the cameras. 

I have leftovers, but not a ton.  There were only ten people around the table, and we didn’t have to prepare as much food as sometimes.  That is a good thing.

But the love was what brought us together.  My son is off this week and going fishing. My son-in-law is probably heading out to see his mother. My granddaughter is off to Colorado and back to work.

Christmas dinner is never enough to see my family.  I want an entire week, but that’s impossible. They have lives to live and projects waiting for them to finish. But the feelings of Christmas live on in our hearts.  When you get busy this week—and you will—try to remember the feelings of being around that table with the people you love, and it will once more warm your soul.

Family is everything.